Redemption

The battle of Basgiath II

Aifos' Pov
Chex's bellow rattled my skull as he picked up such a speed that I held the pommel for my dear life, especially now that my bindings were gone.
The wind howled beneath his wings, and instinctively my mind grasped the dark wielder's; it was the same swirling of greed and hunger of Barlowe, and I sharpened my hold on it, ready to shape the Name of Names which couldn't have been any easier to-
My body half crumbled against Chex's neck, and the armour squeezed my chest, or was it my chest squeezing my heart? I couldn't breathe, nor see, and it was a struggle to hear Chex's voice, -Stop it, she's draining you!-
Only when he slammed both his body against the ridden wyvern and his shields around my mind, could I finally let go.
He tore the wyvern's neck with bites so brutal that blood splattered on me, then he flipped around and his sword-tail caught its temples.
As the limp corpse crumbled down, he performed a diving spiral, his sinuous body twisting and turning until his sleek tail sliced the belly of the wyvern now above us. The pain distracted it long enough to give Tairn time to sink his fangs in its neck and violently snap its bones. A riderless Sliseag tore apart another's wings, and Chex spewed fire at it.
I saw Xaden's shadow being horribly thin, and I briefly wondered if we'd all been too self-assured; if general Melgren's outcome was meant to remain a tragedy, despite our best efforts.
But we were Shur'tugals, and if we had to die fighting, then so be it.
"Beor andurna."
Bear the water.
Every drop of rain started accumulating on the wyvern's wings closest to Sliseag, and the weight unbalanced it so much it struggled to fly; Tairn swung his tail and smashed its head, then turned around and ripped another's grey stomach with a single swipe of a bloodied claw.
In the meantime, I gave Xaden bits of my energy, until his breathing grew easier and his power became stable again.
Now, the helmet was weighing down on my nape, and my whole armour started to feel more like a burden than a protection, much to my chagrin.
-Watch out!- Xaden cried out, and Chex sharply swerved aside, barely avoiding blue flames. The dark-wielder laughed atop her mount, her veins weaving around her pale skin, and Chex roared and sped up towards her wyvern. But Sgaeyl beat him to it, and Xaden jumped from her to the wyvern, his shadows coiled around his feet.
As he engaged the venin in a hand to hand combat, with a sharp "Heill, ganga fram" my sword sank in the beast's heart, so Xaden could go past the staggering venin's defences and dig his dagger in her throat.
-I had her, Aifos!- he yelled while conjuring up a shadowy rope with which he reached his seat on Sgaeyl.
-You're welcome,- I said back.
Chex pulled up, and glided under Sgaeyl, their wings almost touching. Tairn took the lead, and Sliseag positioned himself on the rear.
-Tairn says the threats are all dead,- reported Chex, and I briefly glanced at Tairn violently beheading the last wyvern. After we watched its carcass falling down, we landed on the Basgiath grounds, next to Violet and Andarna.
A venin lay charred and headless, and Chex stretched out to rub his snout against his sister's.
-She has just breathed fire.-
My head whipped to my right, where Ronny was standing, tall and proud; I fumbled with my laces, then scrambled off Chex's back and staggered towards him, my arms outstretched.
He gave me a steady flow of energy, with which my muscles could stop shaking and my breathing could grow easier. I ripped my helmet off, my hair so annoyingly greasy, then he placed his snout on my forehead, a low, soothing rumble in his chest. His scales were rough and warm against my gloved palms, and I curled my fingers and pushed his head closer to mine.
"You did it," I whispered, "You mended the wardstone."
-I did.-
I turned around, and smiled at Chex, -We fight well together.-
-Of course we do!-
"Aifos!"
-Go, Riorson is calling for you.-
Slowly, I peeled myself off him and reached Xaden and Violet. We walked past the grounds where everyone who wasn't injured was getting deployed to battle, and a second-year warned us of a scribe racing towards us. Her signs were too quick for me to decipher them, so I looked up, to the grey, hovering mass with a rather threatening gap in the middle.
-They're waiting for their leader,- said Ronny, -Whoever he might be.-
-As if I'd let him touch our bonded!- snarled Chex, and Ronny said nothing.
"We can send Tairn and Sgaeyl to the Vale. They're the strongest bond, and the wyverns fear them," was saying a harsh-featured general, his aquiline nose only sharpening his lines.
General Sorrengail in front of him glanced up at the sky, just as Xaden forcefully stepped forward, "Absolutely not!"
"You think cadets will be able to defend all of this?" Another man almost shrieked, but got interrupted by general Sorreingail, who looked at Violet with her usual mask.
"What are you doing here?"
"She's never far from him," the aquiline-nosed man quipped.
-Is he general Melgren?-
-Yes, he is,- answered Chex as him and Ronny approached from behind me, Tairn and Sgaeyl taking place next to their Riders.
-I thought he would be... Taller.-
-His dragon's height makes up for it,- snorted Ronny.
Xaden folded his arms, "We're not taking Tairn and Sgaeyl to the Vale.  They already have First and Second Wing, plus every unbonded dragon. Aifos, back me up on this."
"You're the reason I can't plan effectively!" Snapped general Melgren before I could stammer something, "You're the reason I didn't even see this battle occurring."
"You're welcome for flying to your aid."
"The Vale is the only thing that matters," general Sorrengail said, "The Archives are already sealed. The fortress can be rebuilt."
The underline of her words was clear: we were losing, and if even our leadership was sure there would be no victory for us, how could we think otherwise?
Perhaps the other man was right; perhaps it was an impossible task for us cadets to protect the Academy against such a formidable enemy.
Not that I was a cadet, but I was still young, and it was my first time seeing a battle of a war, too.
-I didn't fix the wardstone for nothing,- interjected Ronny to all of us, and the other Riders paled and whipped their heads at me, then flicked their gazes at him.
-I fixed it so that it could save us. If you deem it useless, I may as well go back and destroy it.-
"Even a dragon can't mend magic," general Sorrengail sighed, and I shook my head, a growl slipping off my throat, "You're nothing but a bunch of cowards! My people fought the Mad King and his Empire with one single dragon Rider, and Nasuada never let her men see her trembling, not even in front of the gates of Uru'Baen!"
"I am sorry to tell you, child," snapped general Melgren, "But we are not your precious Nasuada. If you so admire her, I'd suggest that you scurry back where you come from, and stop being such a petulant nuisance."
-Insult my partner of heart and mind in any form again and you shall see how easily you can shrivel into ash,- Ronny growled, and Chex swept his foreleg in front of me, with his head low and his teeth bared. His chest was so close to me I could feel the heat of his fire.
"They're my soldier," stated Xaden with his chin held high, "You can't order off any soldier from another army."
"You might lead a revolution, Riorson, but you know nothing about winning a war."
"It doesn't look like you're any better, sir," I spat, and Chex dug his claws in the ground when general Melgren narrowed his beady eyes at me.
Xaden shot me an approving glance, instead.
"You don't have to order anyone away," Violet said, "If the stone is mended, it can hold power. We could still raise the wards. I know how."
I sharply studied her, and from the intensity of her gaze, I had a feeling she, too, knew of the existence of the seventh Den.
"You weren't entirely successful in Aretia, were you?" Her mother said, with her voice low enough I heard her only out of luck, " 'Could' isn't good enough."
"I can do it." Then, Violet raised her voice," If you put Xaden and me in the Vale, you leave the wardstone unprotected, and that is the only solution to keep everyone on this field alive today."
"You don't know if it works after being mended. And even if it did-"
-Aifos, Chex. Look up.-
We all did, and saw a new, larger wyvern taking the empty gap of before, a royally blue-vested rider on its shoulders.
"As you can see, it's too late for wards now," said general Melgren, but Violet rolled back her shoulders, "It's not!"
Her mother sighed, "Cadet-"
"I can get them up. If they can hold power, I can get the wards up!"
"She can," I interjected, "General Sorrengail, trust your daughter and let her save us."
The general pursed her lips, a frown pulling down her features as her eyes bore into her daughter's. None of us dared breathe, not until a sharp dip of her head allowed us to.
"You can't trust her anymore we can trust Riorson!" Snarled the other general, "Are you out of your own mind?"
"It's my school, and she's my daughter."
"It's my army, and there's no waiting!"
"Technically," said Xaden, his eyes still on the horde, "Half of it is my army, as I've said before. And seeing you had no problem having my father executed, I have no problem letting you die if you refuse her help."
Because no reply came from general Melgren, he resignedly went on, "That's what I thought. You want to walk with me, Violet?"
They entwined hands, and I shuffled around, before Xaden jerked his head and I fell in steps with them.
But general Melgren, apparently, wasn't done yet.
"Where are you going? They're about to attack-"
"I'm buying her the time she needs. And they won't attack. Not yet. They're still waiting."
"What the fuck for?"
"Me."
"You?" I echoed just as Violet asked, "What do you mean, they're waiting for you?"
We'd reached Codagh, the enormous dragon regarding us with his intense, golden eyes, which flickered once behind me.
"That's one of their teachers," answered Xaden, "The one who escaped Resson."
-Yes,- said Chex, almost sombrely, -I remember him now.-
My nails dug deep in my palms as I stared at this so-called leader of the dark-wielders. None would make Chex sound so defeated and brag to be still alive; not as long as my heart beat, and even beyond.
I'd twist Heill in his heart and rejoice at his shrills of pain; I'd shatter his mind and make it mine.
My eyes followed his slow descent, and my blood seemed to boil.
"You are my home," was whispering Xaden to Violet, "And if we all die here today, then the knowledge dies with us anyway. Ward Basgiath."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
She nodded, slipped her hand away from his, and pivoted to Codagh, "I need to talk to you."
"Holy fuck, Violet!" Exclaimed Xaden, "You know what you're doing?"
"I'm sure she does," I muttered, and he glared at me, "Not helping."
Violet raised her chin and accused the black dragon of knowing the truth but keeping it a secret because "dragonkind protects dragonkind."
His golden gaze flashed behind me again, and I wanted to be big enough to wrap myself around Chex and hide him away from such eyes. Ronny shifted, and his wing bumped Chex's.
"Will. You. Come? We're all dead if you don't. The Empyrean will end."
Violet managed to hold Codagh's stare until he rumbled, deep in his chest, then curtly dipped his chin before straightening himself at Tairn's approach.
Violet turned to Xaden, "I don't want to leave you, and I have about a million questions as to why you think they're coming for you, but if I don't..."
He cupped her neck, and his voice was so soft but his gaze so firm I felt like I was intruding and looked at my gloved hands. I flexed them once, twice.
-If she wants to raise the wards, it's you she needs, Chex.-
-I'm not leaving you!-
-You must.-
-She has my sister.-
I turned around and met Chex's golden eyes, -Please. You know it's the only way.-
Ronny's voice was gentle, -They're right, Chex. You are our only hope.-
He bristled, still uncertain, so Ronny pressed on, -I'll guard over them, just like you did throughout the battle. You didn't disappoint me, so neither shall I.-
In the end, he relented, and brought his snout to rest on my cheek. I half closed my eyes, my muscles relaxing for the first time in what felt like weeks, and I wondered if that was the main strength of love - of making one feel safe even in the middle of hopeless times.
But someone grasped my arm, and I whirled around to meet Violet's hazel gaze, "Promise me you'll keep Xaden alive!"
"I... I do."
"Promise me!"
"I do!"
She kept looking in my eyes, then nodded and off she went, yelling something about the fliers' desire to fight.
Chex followed her with a rumble, while Tairn remained with the four of us. Xaden stood still, his eyes following Violet's movements until she was lost in the running crowd. I manoeuvred myself in front of him, my expression stern, and held out my sword across from him so that he couldn't be able to dismiss me if he wanted to join the fight as soon as possible.
"Xaden," I said then, "What does it mean that they're waiting for you? And don't you dare say that I'm better off not knowing, since I'm staying right by you, and I'd like to know against whom we're fighting, thank you very much."
"You don't have to, you-"
"Xaden. Don't."
He huffed, rubbed his eyes, then whispered, "He's been visiting me in my dreams. Says he's been waiting for me for a long time and that I would..."
His voice choked and he gulped back its shakiness, but he didn't need to go on, because I'd already understood, and gingerly lowered my sword.
He would do anything to protect Violet, and perhaps, perhaps, even turning.
I put my helmet back on, "Well, then, we shall be ready to face him."
"It isn't about you. It's about me!"
"You know who it's about, Xaden, and it's neither of us. Besides, your life is entwined to Violet's, and each of your lives is linked to your dragons."
"And your life is linked to Sgaeyl and Tairn's ward, and to your other dragon!"
-You are a fool, Riorson, if you think I'll ever let them die.-
"But that's a war, and-"
"Enough!" I snapped, "That's my choice, and you can't change my mind."
-Behind you both!-
"Such a selfless comrade you've got for yourself, Xaden Riorson."
We whirled around, and the Sage - for that man with the dark, thinning hair could be none but him- gave me a mockingly annoyed grin. His royal blue robes billowed at the rush of wind made by the sudden take-off of the three dragons, who quickly got engulfed in the swarming mass of grey.
But I knew that I could only believe in Ronny to hold his own if I wanted to keep both of us alive, so I forced my eyes to remain still on the Sage.
Xaden tensed beside me, and shadows coiled at his feet.
The Sage tsked, "So predictable. And boring."
I glimpsed Xaden's fingers curling claw-like, and the shadows mirroring his movements, but before he could strike, I reached his mind, -He'll drain you.-
-What else is there to do?-
-Let's try not to fall too eagerly into his trap.-
"But you," and our nemesis nudged the tip of his staff in my direction, "You are a new, shiny toy to play with."
"It's a pity I can't say the same to you."
"Not yet."
My hold on my sword tightened so much my knuckles turned white.
"Brisingr."
The flames around Heill were so intense I could feel the rush of heat even with my gloves on, and I adjusted my position.
The Sage's red-brimmed eyes crinkled in an amused expression, "May the game begin."
I was the first to strike, the staff clashing halfway through the sweep of my blade. The fire creaked and smoke hissed from both of our weapons once withdrawn.
Xaden's signet poured all around the Sage, who laughed and said, "Is this all you can do?"
The black tendrils attempted to wrangle his veins-littered neck, but they'd just brushed it that Xaden paled and they quickly retreated.
"My turn now."
"Reisa nosu!"
Just in time: Xaden and I hovered in the air just when the staff slammed itself against the floor. This time, he didn't regard us with any mock, instead there was an annoyance in the narrowing of his eyes which made me wish to be strong enough to carry both of us in the air until the end of time.
"You can't keep him aloft forever!"
"Why do you want him?"
But my voice was strained, and he obviously picked it up, judging by his grin, "You know why. It's because he'll turn for love. You both will!"
-You're tiring, break the spell!-
-Think about yourself!-
-Aifos, be sensible for once!-
I slammed my shield up, but undid the spell anyway and our feet hit the ground with a thud.
We attacked him again, and again he deflected our strikes with no sweat on his brow. After Xaden stumbled back, his back sliced, I was heaving gulps of breaths and my helmet was laying somewhere in the bloodied dirt.
"I've grown quite disappointed in you; I was expecting better. Oh, well."
Then, he raised his arms, and with a tearing yell Xaden's shadows rushed towards him, but they were terribly thin; I could only watch as they took hold of the Sage's torso, and I stumbled on my feet when Xaden was lifted high in the air. A strangled shout left him, and his muscles were locked and the shadows kept streaming past, and his skin was getting paler and paler.
Someone roared in the sky; most probably it was Sgaeyl.
I didn't know what to do; I didn't even know if I could stay on my feet.
"I told you once that you'd turn for love. And you shall."
"You don't know shit about me."
"I know more than you think."
"Because you're a Sage?"
"Because I'm a general."
He struggled, in vain. Everything either of us would do, had ever done, was vain.
I looked up, but our dragons were too far off. We were on our own; I wondered if I'd done the right thing, leaving Alagaesia behind.
"Generals die the same as soldiers."
"Do they? Come on, shadow-wielder. Turn. It's the only way to save her."
I shook my head when I felt Xaden's faint indecisiveness.
Was that the price to pay, for love? One's sacrifice for the other's freedom? For the other's life?
I tried to imagine the red shining in his black irises, the veins littering his body, the pain and the betrayal Violet would scream. But not at him... At me.
I'd promised her I would save him; and a Shur'tugal would never, ever, back down from any promise, not as long as they drew breath.
("Would you save me, or would you be paralysed?")
My gedwei ignasia burned and glowed as I gathered the last remaining strength and tightened the hold on my sword.
-Sgaeyl. I'll stun the wyverns for you; be ready to sweep him up.-
Not waiting for an answer, I turned my eyes to the Sage.
I knew he would never look at me, so assured of both of our defeats he'd allowed himself the lightness of narrowing his whole attention to a single Rider.
It was a sudden thing.
My mind rushed towards the sky, the ground, everything surrounding me just as my body slammed himself against the Sage, sending the two of us on the ground and breaking his focus on Xaden.
"Aifos! No!"
I struggled on the floor, my hand slow and sloppy, and a sudden pain skyrocketed all throughout myself. He kicked me away as if I was nothing but a nuisance, and cursed at the sight of Sgaeyl taking off with Xaden safe in her grasp.
I looked down, and saw a blade at the height of my hip. I could feel the poison running in my blood, to my heart.
The sky shook, but all I could see was a pair of blue eyes, colder than any winter.